Unlock Your Leadership Potential: Discover the Practices That Can Help You Achieve Real Results
“Always do right. It will gratify some people and astonish the rest.”
As a successful executive, I have found that there are certain practices that have helped me achieve my goals. These practices have been outlined by Peter Drucker, aka the father of modern management, and I believe they are essential for effective leadership. In this newsletter, I will elaborate on each of these practices and explain how they can be applied to your own leadership style.
Ask the Right Questions. As an effective executive, it is important to focus on what needs to be done rather than what we want to do. This means asking the right questions and setting priorities. By doing this, you can focus on one task at a time, if possible, leading to effective execution. Effective executives know that the right questions lead to the right answers and the right decisions.
Consider What is Right for the Organization. Effective executives know that organizations perform well if top management performs. Therefore, it is important to make decisions based on what is right for the organization rather than what is right for any particular stakeholder. By doing this, leaders can ensure that decisions are aligned with the organization's goals and objectives.
Develop Action Plans with a Mindset of Intentionality versus Commitment. Knowledge is useless until it is translated into action. Effective executives develop action plans that take into account desired results over 18-24 months, deadlines, and probable restraints to achieve success. By doing this, leaders can ensure that their actions are aligned with the organization's goals and objectives.
Revise Plans Often and Remain Flexible. Every success and failure creates new opportunities, and changes in the business environment and people in the organization must be taken into account when revising plans. By remaining flexible, leaders can adapt to changes in the environment and take advantage of new opportunities as they arise.
Create a System for Checking Results Against Results. Effective executives focus on what really matters and which ones are noise. By doing this, leaders can ensure that they are focusing on what is most important and pivoting when necessary to stay on course to achieve results.
Be Prudent About How You Spend Your Time. An executive’s most precious resource is time, and good time management is essential for success. By being prudent about how their time is spent, leaders can ensure they are focusing on the most important tasks.
Take Responsibility for Decisions. Effective executives know that a decision has not been made until people know about it. Decision-making is a crucial skill that must be developed at every level to leverage talents, knowledge, and experience. By taking responsibility for decisions, leaders can be confident they are making the right decisions for the organization.
Focus on Opportunities Versus Problems. Exploiting opportunities produces results, while focusing on problems may not. Effective executives assure that problems do not overwhelm opportunities. Focusing on opportunities allows leaders to take advantage of the right opportunities.
In conclusion, effective executives differ widely in their leadership approaches. The measure of an executive's ability to get the right things done is doing what others may have overlooked and avoiding what is unproductive. It takes intentionality and managing oneself to create results, finding the right people and structuring policies, goals, tasks and feedback loops to create results that have meaning.
Effectiveness comes from discipline, focus, flexibility, oversight, and execution of the plan. I hope that these practices will help you become a more effective leader in your organization. Remember to ask the right questions, consider what is right for the organization, develop action plans with intentionality, revise plans often, create a system for checking results against results, be prudent about how you spend your time, take responsibility for decisions, and focus on opportunities versus problems. By doing so, you can be confident that you are making the right decisions for your organization and achieving your goals.
“Fight for the things you care about, but do it in a way that will lead others to join you.”
The Mastering Self Leadership Workshop is now open for enrollment! Live, virtual classes begin May 13, 2023 so don’t miss out. This will be a small group learning format so we are limiting participants. Join us for 4-weeks as we reflect on where we’ve been, understand how we are perceived, harness our potential to have the impact we desire, and set goals aligned with our leadership values. Join Now! 💻
Book: The Effective Executive by Peter Drucker
Book: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey
Book: Leaders Eat Last by Simon Sinek - Book
Video: Why Good Leaders Make You Feel Safe by Simon Sinek - TED Talk
On Brand: Shape Your Narrative. Share Your Vision. Shift Their Perception.
This is Aliza Licht’s second book and she has a fascinating background that provides powerful lessons to anyone looking to better understand who they are, what their strengths are, and how to shape and share that story with others.
Aliza also has a great online community and podcast where she shares her perspective, advice, and experience.
P.S. Reply to this newsletter and let me know what you are reading 📚
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This week’s feature is from Project Management on LinkedIn:
Powerful visuals about psychology & life
This is a great visual that demonstrates the power of learning through teaching others.
This concept holds true for almost any situation or industry, even when you are dealing with a challenge or difficult change.
The next time you want to navigate something challenging or learn something new consider becoming a teacher as well as a student.
